I spent a couple hours between last night and this morning trying out my new Grundig G3, which I'm powering with four fresh alkaline batteries. I also own an Eton E5 which I got three years ago. So, I've been doing some comparisons between the E5 and the G3, but I should point out that the E5 is a few years old so it's not a perfect side-by-side comparison. With that said, here are my initial comments about the G3:

* Sync detect functionality is poor, working best on only the strong signals. Often, while the sync is activated, it will add squeal or muting to the audio signal, which is worse than not using sync at all.

* While listening to a ham frequency last night, I struggled to clarify the SSB signal with the BFO dial. Broadcasts were readable but maintained a robotic quality regardless of my efforts. The Eton E5 clarified the signal easily.

* Sometimes when I press the "3" on the keypad, I get a "4" instead.

* The radio has an unpleasant burnt rubber smell.

* When entering frequencies via keypad and pressing the band button to switch to the station, there's a longer muting pause than on my Eton E5.

* MW and SW sensitivity seems equivalent to my E5. I haven't really evaluated FM.

* VHF band is nice, but probably due to line-of-sight issues, I can only hear planes and not the atc tower at KSFO.

Conclusion: this radio doesn't offer me enough improvements over my E5, and in some ways, is worse. I'm currently planning to return it.